1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hi-hat type electronic pad suitable for an electronic percussion instrument.
2. Description of the Related Art
An acoustic hi-hat (abbreviated as HH) cymbal is adapted to generate a musical tone when a top cymbal is struck with a stick and also when the top cymbal is struck with a pedal, i.e., when moved up and down by a pedal operation so as to be in contact with a bottom cymbal.
Conventionally, there is known an electronic percussion instrument adapted to detect a pedal operation and output a detection signal for musical tone control in response to the pedal operation.
For example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2003-316355 discloses an electronic percussion instrument having a sensor for detecting an amount of pedal depression, and adapted to control the tone color of an electronic sound in response to the pedal operation. The sensor is comprised of a plate mounted to a movable shaft extending through a hi-hat part of the instrument and a switch provided in the hi-hat part for being depressed by the plate. The hi-hat part as fake cymbals is fixed to a stand of the instrument.
Japanese Laid-open Utility Model Publication No. 6-11000 discloses an electronic percussion instrument in which a movable shaft extending through the center of a hi-hat part is moved down by a pedal operation to turn on a sensor disposed to face a lower end of the movable shaft. The hi-hat part per se is not movable up and down.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 60-217394 discloses an electronic hi-hat cymbal having a movable arm adapted to be moved up and down by a pedal operation. First and second switches attached to a cymbal part are turned on in sequence by the movable arm in response to pedal depression. The cymbal part per se, which is attached to a stand, is not movable up and down.
In the arrangements disclosed in the above-described patent publications, a pad (cymbal part) or the like corresponding to a top cymbal is not movable up and down, and the appearance of operation at the time of being struck with a pedal quite differs from that in an acoustic HH cymbal. A relation between the appearance of motion of the pedal-operated part and an actually generated musical tone also differs from that in the acoustic HH cymbal, which may bring discomfort to the player.
If the pad corresponding to a top cymbal is actually moved up and down in conjunction with a pedal operation and such action is detected as in the case of an acoustic HH cymbal, the pedal operation can be possibly detected with reality (similarly to in the case of an acoustic HH cymbal). However, the top cymbal is pivoted when struck, and therefore, the top cymbal is not always maintained in a horizontal state when moved downward by a pedal operation. To accurately detect upward and downward movements of the pad corresponding to the top cymbal, therefore, the inclination of the pad due to the pivotal motion must be taken into consideration.
In the acoustic HH cymbal, a reaction force is necessarily produced when the top cymbal is made in contact with the bottom cymbal by the pedal operation. With further depression of the pedal, each cymbal is slightly deformed so as to be turned inside out, and the resultant change in reaction force is perceived by the player. Therefore, the player can depress the pedal with appropriate strength, while perceiving the change in reaction force.
In the arrangements disclosed in the above described patent publications, a change in reaction force perceived by the foot at the time of pedal operation is not taken into consideration, and it is therefore difficult for the player to grasp how strong the pedal is to be depressed, which poses a problem that a realistic feeling of pedal operation cannot be attained.
The electronic instrument disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2003-316355 includes a sensor for detecting striking to a hi-hat part in addition to the sensor for detecting a pedal operation. Thus, two sets of wirings and signal output units each for outputting a signal to the outside such as a controller of the instrument are separately disposed at two places. This results in a complicated structure and an increased number of component parts, and the wirings are complicated and liable to catch something, thus posing a problem that the wirings and output terminals are difficult to handle and manage.